New Orleans Pelicans Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: Mosley, Mavs Front Office, Kidd, Vaughn, Pelicans

June 26th, 2021 at 2:11pm CST by Eli Cohen

Assistant coach Jamahl Mosley is expected to leave the Mavericks, writes Tim Cato of the Athletic. Mosley is a respected coach around the league, and had a particularly close relationship with star Luka Doncic. Mosley had expected to receive serious consideration for the head coach position, but felt that failed to materialize as the team zeroed in on its preferred candidate, Jason Kidd. He will likely be an in-demand assistant coach, even if a head coaching position isn’t offered to him this summer.

In the same article, Cato examines the Mavericks’ front office power structure. The most striking thing, Cato writes, is that despite the overhaul, the structure feels exactly the same. The organization is surrounding new head of basketball operations Nico Harrison with former Mavericks players familiar with the team’s dealings, such as special advisor Dirk Nowitzki, vice president of basketball operations Michael Finley, and head coach Kidd, who is expected to bring on J.J. Barea and possibly Jason Terry as assistant coaches. Team owner Mark Cuban is expected to continue acting as the ultimate decision-maker.

We have more from around the Southwest Division:

Kidd’s contract with the Mavericks will be for four years, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. The exact amount of the contract is still unclear, but this deal will run until Doncic is 26 years old, a critical period in the All NBA guard’s career.
Jacque Vaughn is gaining traction to become the head coach of the Pelicans, as Brian Windhorst reported this week. William Guillory of The Athletic examines how Vaughn – a current Brooklyn assistant and former Orlando head coach – could fit in New Orleans, as well as potential question marks for the coach, including the Magic’s lack of success with him at the helm, as well as the question of if he would continue to utilize star Zion Williamson as a point forward or rely more on the traditional guards.
Next season will mark the third coach in three years for the Pelicans, and Scott Kushner of the New Orleans Times-Picayune writes that it could be president of basketball operations David Griffin‘s last chance to get it right for a while. It will be crucial for Griffin to examine where and why Alvin Gentry and Stan Van Gundy couldn’t succeed in New Orleans, or else the team will be forced into another reset that it cannot afford. “The real issue moving forward is finding somebody who you’re in lockstep with,” Griffin said. “And that includes ownership as well. That has to be something we’re moving with together and moving with the same spirit and same energy. I don’t know how else to put it.”

2021 NBA Offseason Preview: New Orleans Pelicans

June 25th, 2021 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

After trading away Anthony Davis in 2019, the Pelicans moved another longtime standout during the 2020 offseason, sending Jrue Holiday to Milwaukee. While New Orleans’ return in the four-team deal was heavy on draft picks that could pay off down the line, it also included veterans Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe.

The idea was that the Pelicans weren’t giving up on their goal of making the playoffs in 2021 by trading Holiday, since they were getting two productive veterans in the deal — they even extended Adams as part of the trade, locking him up for two extra seasons.

However, instead of helping lead the Pelicans to the playoffs, Adams and Bledsoe struggled to fit in New Orleans. Adams and Zion Williamson weren’t a great match in the frontcourt, and Bledsoe’s efficiency cratered — his .421 FG% and .687 FT% were his worst marks since his rookie year.

Throw in the fact that new head coach Stan Van Gundy wasn’t able to deliver on his promise to turn the Pelicans’ defense around and it’s perhaps no surprise that the team didn’t take a step forward in 2020/21, falling out of play-in contention during the season’s final weeks.

The Pelicans’ Offseason Plan:

Van Gundy is gone after just one year, so the first item on the Pelicans’ offseason to-do list will be hiring his replacement. New Orleans is seeking a coach who can better connect with the young players on the roster — veteran assistants like Jacque Vaughn and Charles Lee are among the candidates receiving consideration.

Once the coaching search is over, president of basketball operations David Griffin will face a series of challenging offseason decisions, including the looming restricted free agencies of Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart. Both players are due for substantial raises, potentially creating a cap crunch for the Pelicans, who presumably aren’t eager to pay the luxury tax and would be approaching that threshold if they bring both RFAs back on fair-market deals.

Still, the Pelicans won’t want to lose their solid young players for nothing. Star forwards Williamson and Brandon Ingram have both expressed a desire to continue playing with Ball, in particular, and Hart has reportedly been a strong locker room voice for the young squad.

In order to comfortably re-sign both players and potentially use their mid-level exception, the Pelicans may explore trading Bledsoe and/or Adams to cut costs. Neither player is a positive asset at this point, but neither contract is so onerous that it can’t be moved.

While it’s never ideal for a rebuilding team to surrender draft picks in order to clear unwanted contracts from its cap, the Pelicans are uniquely positioned following their Davis and Holiday mega-deals to sacrifice a pick or two in a salary dump and not be significantly set back by it.

Ideally, they’d deal from their cache of second-round picks (they have four in 2021 alone), but if they need to include a protected first-rounder, the Pelicans should seriously consider giving up a selection previously acquired from the Lakers or Bucks. If they want to get back to the postseason sooner rather than later, it’s worth being aggressive this summer rather than waiting another year or two for those contracts to expire.

Salary Cap Situation

Note: Our salary cap projections are based on a presumed 3% increase, which would result in a $112.4MM cap for 2021/22.

Guaranteed Salary

Brandon Ingram ($29,467,800)
Eric Bledsoe ($18,125,000)
Steven Adams ($17,073,171)
Zion Williamson ($10,733,400)
Jaxson Hayes ($5,348,280)
Kira Lewis ($3,822,240)
Nickeil Alexander-Walker ($3,261,480)
Wesley Iwundu ($1,824,003)
Naji Marshall ($1,517,981)
Total: $91,173,355

Player Options

None

Team Options

Didi Louzada ($1,517,981): Non-Bird rights ¹
Total: $1,517,981

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Wenyen Gabriel ($1,762,796)
Total: $1,762,796

Restricted Free Agents

Lonzo Ball ($14,359,936 qualifying offer / $27,509,455 cap hold): Bird rights
Josh Hart ($5,236,739 qualifying offer / $10,473,477 cap hold): Bird rights
Total (cap holds): $37,982,932

Two-Way Free Agents

James Nunnally

Draft Picks

No. 10 overall pick ($4,373,160)
No. 35 overall pick (no cap hold)
No. 40 overall pick (no cap hold)
No. 43 overall pick (no cap hold)
No. 53 overall pick (no cap hold)
Total: $4,373,160

Extension-Eligible Players

None

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

James Johnson ($24,070,650): Bird rights
Willy Hernangomez ($1,669,178): Non-Bird rights
Total: $25,739,828

Offseason Cap Outlook

Accounting for their nine players on guaranteed contracts, Louzada’s minimum-salary team option, and the cap hold for the No. 10 pick brings the Pelicans’ team salary to $97MM+. It seems safe to assume the club will try to retain at least one of Ball and Hart, if not both, so New Orleans appears likely to operate over the cap.

However, with so many variables in play, it’s tricky to project which exceptions the Pelicans might have access to. Re-signing Ball and Hart without cutting costs elsewhere would likely put team salary at the tax line, limiting the club to the taxpayer mid-level exception. But letting one of those RFAs go – or trading Adams and/or Bledsoe to save some money – could create enough flexibility for New Orleans to use the full mid-level and/or the bi-annual exception.

Cap Exceptions Available

Mid-level exception: $9,536,000 ²
Bi-annual exception: $3,732,000 ²
Trade exception: $3,897,436

Footnotes

Louzada will be eligible for restricted free agency if his option is declined.
These are projected values. If the Pelicans are at or near the tax line, they may instead have access to just the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.9MM).

Salary and cap information from Basketball Insiders and RealGM was used in the creation of this post.

Draft Notes: Workouts, Aluma, T. Williams, Hurt, McBride

June 25th, 2021 at 3:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves and Jazz are hosting pre-draft group workouts in Minneapolis from July 8-11, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). According to Wojnarowski, the event will be open to all 30 NBA teams and the goal will be to have 48 prospects participate over that four-day period.

In past years when teams have brought in groups of prospects for pre-draft workouts, they’ve typically hosted six players at a time. If the event in Minneapolis follows a similar pattern, it could showcase two groups of six players apiece on each day from July 8-11.

Here’s more on the upcoming draft:

Virginia Tech forward Keve Aluma is returning to school for another year, he announced on Twitter. Aluma had been testing the draft waters after 15.2 PPG and 7.9 RPG in 22 games (30.6 MPG) as a junior in 2020/21.
Purdue forward Trevion Williams is also pulling out of the draft and heading back to school, per a Twitter announcement. Williams put up 15.5 PPG and 9.1 RPG in 28 games (25.1 MPG) for the Boilemakers as a junior this year, earning All-Big Ten honors.
Duke forward Matthew Hurt has workouts on tap with the Celtics, Thunder, Pelicans, Lakers, Clippers, and Bucks, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link).
West Virginia guard Miles McBride has worked out for the Knicks and Celtics in addition to interviewing with several teams, tweets Alder Almo of Empire Sports Media.

Coaching Rumors: Wizards, Morrison, Cassell, Pelicans, Vaughn, Carlisle

June 25th, 2021 at 9:09am CST by Luke Adams

We haven’t heard about many candidates linked to the Wizards‘ head coaching job since the team announced Scott Brooks wouldn’t be returning for the 2021/22 season. However, it sounds like Washington’s search is moving forward.

Celtics assistant Scott Morrison told Peter Yannopoulos of RDS (Twitter link) that he has interviewed for the Wizards’ head coaching job. Morrison also interviewed for the open position in Boston before the team decided to hire Ime Udoka. With Udoka likely to bring in some new assistants, Morrison’s future with the C’s is unclear.

Meanwhile, Brian Windhorst of ESPN said on his Hoop Collective podcast that Sam Cassell and Wes Unseld Jr. are considered two of the leading candidates for the Wizards’ job (hat tip to RealGM). Cassell is currently an assistant with the Sixers, while Unseld – who has previously been mentioned as a contender for the Washington job – is a Nuggets assistant.

Here are a few more coaching-related updates and notes from around the NBA:

Windhorst also said on his latest Hoop Collective podcast that Nets assistant Jacque Vaughn has emerged as a legit contender for the Pelicans‘ head coaching vacancy. “I’m not saying he’s going to get (the) job, because Charles Lee on the Bucks‘ staff is also going to be a strong candidate,” Windhorst said, per RealGM. “The word coming out of Chicago at the draft combine is that Jacque Vaughn, who is close to (Pelicans GM) Trajan Langdon… Jacque Vaughn is going to get a real serious look.” ESPN reported earlier in the week that both Vaughn and Lee were interviewing with New Orleans.
On that same Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon suggested that former Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle may have felt threatened in Dallas by assistant Jamahl Mosley‘s close relationship with Luka Doncic (hat tip to RealGM). Carlisle’s endorsement of Jason Kidd for the job could be viewed through that lens. “I think Rick understood the perception of how (the endorsement of Kidd) might impact who he didn’t endorse,” MacMahon said, adding of Carlisle and Mosley: “I don’t think those guys will necessarily send each other Christmas cards.”
Carlisle spoke to other teams with coaching openings before finalizing a deal with the Pacers, but Indiana was where the mutual interest was strongest, says J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star (subscriber-only article). According to Michael, Carlisle and the Pacers didn’t even meet face-to-face, completing their four-year deal over the phone.

Van Gundy Couldn't Match Thibodeau's Success

June 24th, 2021 at 8:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Stan Van Gundy was one-and-done as the Pelicans‘ head coach, while Tom Thibodeau was named Coach of the Year in his first season with the Knicks. The fact that the Knicks’ top players bought in to Thibodeau’s style and schemes while the Pelicans’ young core didn’t do the same with their veteran coach led to Van Gundy’s demise, Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune writes. The Knicks also had more experienced players on their roster than the Pelicans, another reason why Van Gundy failed and Thibodeau thrived.

Draft Notes: Butler, K. Johnson, Sharpe, Mocks

June 24th, 2021 at 9:43am CST by Luke Adams

Baylor guard Jared Butler has been referred to a Fitness to Play panel by the NBA, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that Butler won’t be able to play or practice in the league until he’s cleared. In the short term, he’s also unable to participate in on-court elements of the pre-draft process, though he can still meet with teams and conduct off-court activities (Twitter link).

While it’s unclear what aspect of Butler’s medicals caught the NBA’s attention, the league’s Fitness to Play panels typically deal with cardiac illnesses or conditions, or issues related to blood clots and other blood disorders. Hopefully this setback is just a temporary one for precautionary reasons and Butler is cleared to get back on the court soon.

Here are a few more draft-related updates:

Tennessee shooting guard Keon Johnson set a new record at this week’s draft combine with a 48-inch vertical leap, per the league (video link). A projected lottery pick, Johnson is considered one of the most athletic and explosive players in this year’s draft class.
Johnson is one of 10 players that Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee identifies as possible targets for the Kings with the No. 9 overall pick. Elsewhere in the back half of the lottery, William Guillory of The Athletic names five candidates for the Pelicans at No. 10, while Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News considers the Spurs‘ options at No. 12.
Jeremy Woo of SI.com (Twitter link) hears that Day’Ron Sharpe of North Carolina has withdrawn from the draft combine, pulling out of team interviews and not getting his measurements taken. Sharpe, ranked 31st overall by ESPN, is still expected to remain in this year’s draft pool, so his motivations for withdrawing from the combine are unclear.
In the wake of this week’s lottery results, Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Insider link), Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic are among the draft experts who have published new 2021 mock drafts.

Olympic Notes: Spain, Simmons, Nigeria, Turkey, Garland

June 23rd, 2021 at 11:26am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran center Pau Gasol, who has represented Spain in four Olympic tournaments so far, remains on track to be part of the team in Tokyo, per an Associated Press report. Gasol was one of 18 players included on Spain’s preliminary roster for the Tokyo games, joining his brother – Lakers center Marc Gasol – and Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio.

Timberwolves forward Juan Hernangomez, Pelicans big man Willy Hernangomez, and projected first-round pick Usman Garuba are among the other notable names on Spain’s preliminary roster, according to The Associated Press.

Here’s more on the Tokyo Olympics:

Sixers All-Star Ben Simmons isn’t expected to play for Australia in the Olympics, tweets Brian Windhorst of ESPN. After a tough postseason, Simmons will spend the offseason focused on developing skills, including his jump shot.
No African team has ever earned an Olympic medal – or even advanced beyond the preliminary stage – in the men’s basketball tournament, so Nigeria head coach Mike Brown will be looking to make history in Tokyo, writes Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. According to Colin Udoh of ESPN, Nuggets guard Monte Morris, Raptors forward OG Anunoby, Pistons big man Jahlil Okafor, Jazz teammates Miye Oni and Udoka Azubuike, and Heat teammates Precious Achiuwa and KZ Okpala are among the new additions to Nigeria’s roster.
Turkey has announced its preliminary roster for the upcoming Olympic qualifying tournament in Canada, as Sportando relays. In addition to NBA players like Cedi Osman, Ersan Ilyasova, Furkan Korkmaz, and Omer Yurtseven, the squad includes projected first-round pick Alperen Sengun.
Cavaliers guard Darius Garland will be part of the U.S. Select Team that scrimmages against Team USA’s Olympic squad ahead of the Tokyo games, as Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes. Cavs center Jarrett Allen has also received an invite to join the Select Team, but hasn’t made a decision yet, Fedor adds.

2021 NBA Draft Picks By Team

June 23rd, 2021 at 10:06am CST by Luke Adams

It wasn’t a great night for the Thunder at Tuesday’s draft lottery. The team had about a two-in-three chance that its own first-round pick would land in the top five and nearly a 50-50 chance that Houston’s pick would slide to No. 5, allowing OKC to swap the No. 18 selection for it. Instead, the Rockets kept their own pick and the Thunder’s selection slipped to No. 6.

Still, no NBA team has more draft picks in 2021 than the Thunder, who control three first-round selections and three more second-rounders.

The Pelicans, Pistons, Knicks, and Nets join them as teams that hold at least four draft picks this year. Those five clubs currently control 23 of the 60 picks in the 2021 draft, so it’s probably safe to assume they’ll be active on the trade market before or during the draft.

To present a clearer picture of which teams are most – and least – stocked with picks for the 2021 NBA draft, we’ve rounded up all 60 picks by team in the space below. Let’s dive in…

Teams with more than two picks:

Oklahoma City Thunder (6): 6, 16, 18, 34, 36, 55
Brooklyn Nets (5): 27, 29, 44, 49, 59
Detroit Pistons (4): 1, 37, 42, 52
New Orleans Pelicans (4): 17, 35, 43, 51
New York Knicks (4): 19, 21, 32, 58
Houston Rockets (3): 2, 23, 24
Toronto Raptors (3): 4, 46, 47
Orlando Magic (3): 5, 8, 33
Charlotte Hornets (3): 11, 56, 57
Indiana Pacers (3): 13, 54, 60
Philadelphia 76ers (3): 28, 50, 53

Teams with two picks:

Golden State Warriors: 7, 14
Sacramento Kings: 9, 39
San Antonio Spurs: 12, 41
Memphis Grizzlies: 10, 40
Atlanta Hawks: 20, 48

Teams with one pick:

Cleveland Cavaliers: 3
Washington Wizards: 15
Los Angeles Lakers: 22
Los Angeles Clippers: 25
Denver Nuggets: 26
Utah Jazz: 30
Milwaukee Bucks: 31
Chicago Bulls: 38
Boston Celtics: 45

Teams with no picks:

Dallas Mavericks
Miami Heat
Minnesota Timberwolves
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers

Pistons Win 2021 Draft Lottery; Rockets, Cavs, Raptors In Top Four

June 22nd, 2021 at 7:57pm CST by Luke Adams

With Tuesday night’s lottery results now official, the top 14 slots for the 2021 NBA draft have been set. The lottery order is as follows:

Detroit Pistons
Houston Rockets
Cleveland Cavaliers
Toronto Raptors
Orlando Magic
Oklahoma City Thunder
Golden State Warriors (from Timberwolves)
Orlando Magic (from Bulls)
Sacramento Kings
New Orleans Pelicans
Charlotte Hornets
San Antonio Spurs
Indiana Pacers
Golden State Warriors

It’s a huge win for the Pistons and for general manager Troy Weaver, who had one of the best drafts of any NBA team in 2020, nabbing Killian Hayes, Isaiah Stewart, Saddiq Bey, and Saben Lee. This time around, Detroit is in position to draft Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham, who is widely considered to be the No. 1 prospect in the 2021 draft class.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), the plan is for Cunningham to visit just one team before the July 29 draft: the Pistons.

The Rockets, like Detroit, entered the night with the best odds at landing a top-four pick (52.1%). And while they ended up at No. 2 rather than No. 1, it’s a major relief for the franchise, which would have had to send its pick to the Thunder in exchange for the No. 18 selection if it had landed outside of the top four.

Rather than falling out of the lottery, Houston is poised to take its pick from a top tier of prospects that includes Evan Mobley, Jalen Suggs, Jalen Green, and Jonathan Kuminga. Whichever player the Rockets select figures to become the centerpiece of the team’s rebuild.

The Cavaliers and Raptors moved up in the lottery standings, from fifth and seventh respectively, into the top four. As we noted in our Cavs offseason preview earlier today, Cleveland hasn’t missed on any of its recent lottery picks, but also hasn’t landed a prospect who looks capable of being the club’s franchise player. The Cavs may get that opportunity in 2021.

As for the Raptors, after making the playoffs for seven straight seasons and winning a title in 2019, they had a disastrous 2020/21 campaign, displaced from their home in Toronto due to the coronavirus pandemic and dealing with constant COVID-19 and injury issues. They’re now in position to add an intriguing young player to a core that already includes Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, and OG Anunoby.

Although none of the teams that moved into the top four did so from the bottom half of the lottery, it’s worth noting that the No. 7 spot in the lottery standings has been especially lucky since the NBA revamped the format three years ago. The Pelicans moved up to No. 1 from that position in 2019, allowing them to draft Zion Williamson. In 2020, the Hornets moved from No. 7 to No. 3, putting them in position to select eventual Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball. Now the Raptors have moved up from that spot too.

The night’s biggest losers include the Timberwolves and Bulls, who would have held onto their lottery picks if they had moved into the top three and the top four, respectively. Instead, those picks will be sent to the Warriors and Magic at No. 7 and No. 8.

The Magic‘s own pick and the Thunder‘s selection slipped two spots as a result of the lottery — they’ll pick at No. 5 and No. 6.

It was still a good night for the Magic, who control two of the top eight picks in a strong draft, but the outcome wasn’t great for Oklahoma City. The Thunder entered the evening with the potential to come away with two top-five picks. Instead, they’ll have zero, having lost the ability to swap first-rounders with Houston.

The 9-14 picks in the draft lottery standings remained unchanged.

Pelicans To Interview Jacque Vaughn, Charles Lee

June 22nd, 2021 at 11:10am CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans have received permission to interview Nets assistant Jacque Vaughn and Bucks assistant Charles Lee for their open head coaching position, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Vaughn is one of several Nets assistants receiving interest this offseason as a head coaching candidate, along with Mike D’Antoni and Ime Udoka. Vaughn served as the head coach of the Magic from 2012-15 and briefly assumed control of the Nets last summer following Kenny Atkinson‘s dismissal. He has otherwise worked as an assistant coach in San Antonio and Brooklyn since 2010.

Lee, meanwhile, began his coaching career as an assistant at Bucknell in 2012. Since 2014, he has been a Mike Budenholzer lieutenant, having worked under Budenholzer in Atlanta from 2014-18 and in Milwaukee from 2018 until the present. Lee has also been mentioned as a potential head coaching candidate for Boston and Orlando this month.

The Pelicans, who are seeking a replacement for Stan Van Gundy, are also expected to consider some in-house options, including assistant coach Fred Vinson. Jason Kidd, Chauncey Billups, and Udoka are the other external candidates who have been cited as possible targets for New Orleans, though it’s unclear if any of them will interview for the job.